


My Best Friend's Wedding

by holesofmysweater



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - My Best Friend's Wedding, Based on the movie, F/M, M/M, With A Twist, Zarry end game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-23 02:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4859993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holesofmysweater/pseuds/holesofmysweater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Styles, a 25-year-old New York restaurant critic, receives a call from his longtime friend Louis. In college, the two made an agreement that if neither of them were married by the time they turned 26, they would marry each other. Three weeks before his 26th birthday, Louis tells him he's getting married. </p>
<p>Harry has four days to sabotage the wedding with a little help from Zayn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the movie My Best Friend's Wedding and there will be some editing in between so it'll not be exactly like the movie but the plot and storyline remain the same. I've been wanting to do this for a long time and now I'm finally turning it into a fic. Enjoy.
> 
> Title from the original movie.

   
 **INT. BOULEY RESTAURANT, NEW YORK - NIGHT**

Dim lighting, crowd buzzing.  Everyone in this restaurant holds a reservation at least an hour overdue.  Tourists can't even make the line. Covertly, many eyes are drawn to the one table receiving  by far the most lavish service of all. Chefs hover, presenting delicacies, pouring wines, murmuring obsequiously to a guest.  Harry Styles, almost 25, wears a sweater and a bunch of other stuff he pulled together in fifteen seconds.  He is unkempt, quick, volatile, scattered, and beneath it all, perhaps because of it all, an original beauty.  Emerald eyes, a cynical mouth, slender  expressive fingers, which point to..

  
  
 'A variation on our Risotto. And a trace of Moselle, to sweeten the stock', the chef gushes quickly. His eyes easily reflecting the anxiousness and nervousness he feels.

 

  
 Harry doesn't like that idea at all.  Shoots him a sharp look of doubt. The chef places the plate of risotto before him, presented with finesse as utmost delicacy and care has been taken to get each element on the plate right.  He takes a  surprisingly small amount, rolls it over his tongue, flickers his gaze towards Zayn; it's actually quite nice. Zayn can feel the chef breathe with relief.

 

  
 'I'm writing it up as inventive and confident. And for the record, I'll need a salt shaker,' Harry says, sparing the chef a glance who seems more than happy to comply.

 

  
 As the chef excuses himself, Zayn looks around at the other tables, which makes many pairs of eyes awkwardly glace away. He shakes his head looking at Harry, wonders that this could've easily been mistaken as a date by anyone who looked  at them even for a second if only they were not receiving such a response from the chefs who are always scared to death of what prints in the paper about their food. And of course, it's not a date because Zayn is Harry's editor.

 

  
 'Is it ever embarrassing, having your bum kissed in public?', Zayn leans back with a slight tilt of his lips.

 

 'I'm a good-writer of note, it seems. Is it sad to be an editor, and bask only in reflected insincerity?' he replies, his eyes darting straight to look into Zayn's.

 

  
 Zayn rolls his eyes, 'I've adjusted just fine, thanks for asking.'

 

  
 Harry's lips curl into a light smile as he pushes the plate across to him. Zayn lifts a fork and tastes it.

  
  
 'Inventive and confident, yeah?', Harry says and quickly goes through his email on his phone.

 

  
 'Needs salt', Zayn remarks.

  
  
 And over the phone, he sees an email of a certain someone.

 

>  
> 
> To: [h.e.styles@gmail.com](mailto:h.e.styles@gmail.com)
> 
> From: [l.w.tomlinson@gmail.com](mailto:l.w.tomlinson@gmail.com)
> 
>  
> 
> Subject: ‘Need to talk'.
> 
>  
> 
> Hey, it's me, Louis.  God, it must be, what, months, huh?  I can't wait to talk to you. I'm  in Chicago at the Ritz Carlton.
> 
> Call me four in the morning or whatever, we gotta talk.
> 
>  
> 
> Lou.
> 
>  
> 
>  

Harry's gaze softens, his smile warm.

 

  
Zayn's never seen that look in Harry's eyes and he decides he likes it very much.

 

  
 'Who called? The man of the moment?', he asks.

 

  
 'The opposite, actually. That's my best friend, Louis. He sounds desperate to talk ', Harry says, the curve of his lips reflecting fond as he emphases the word best friend.

 

  
 'Ah, the wandering Sportswriter. I didn't know you two had a past', Zayn replies quickly and lets his mind wander over a few articles he's seen of Louis. Harry's cheeks turn a pale pink as he shakes his head. He's never really- yeah, they haven't really dated, you see. Sophomore year at Yale Harry gets the nerve to break his heart. And Louis gives him this look. And he says with some finality that he knew he couldn't hold Harry's interest for long which of course, made Harry feel shallow like he always is.

 

So after that they just went on with each other and have been best friends ever since. 

 

  
 'Nine years, we've seen each other through everything.  Losing jobs, losing parents, losing relationships, traveled all over, we've had the best times. The best times of my life, maybe. Just drinking and talking. Even over a phone,' Harry explains. Going over the details carefully as if he's measuring each time the amount of emotion he's putting into his words.

 

  
 'Kindred spirits,' Zayn deadpans.

 

It's not like Harry and Zayn don't get along with each other very well. When Harry first met Zayn it had been all fine, you see. Just work and all critique talk. But soon there was a conflict of thoughts which led them to bicker a bit among each other. A lot if you ask Liam. But due to Liam, they've managed to stay friends.

 

'Oh no, he's nothing like me. Like you, actually. A little more nicer. Kind and loyal and generous. The one constant thing in my life, is he'll always be there.'

 

'He's still in love with you, then', Zayn ignores the mid part of Harry's reply. His eyes going over to Harry's expression, like he's trying to figure him out.

 

'Maybe. But it never gets in the way,' Harry just shakes his head a bit and musters out with a small nervous smile.

 

'Well, he has a true friend in you.'

 

A waiter comes back with a salt shaker in hand, Harry leans closer, as if whispering conspirationally to Zayn with this glimmer in his eyes.

 

'I guess. But Louis can be completely insane. There was this one night in Tucson, like six years ago, we got amazingly drunk,' The kid sprinkles a bit of salt. looking at him.

 

'God, I haven't thought of this in so long,' Harry says. The waiter hanging now.  Openly listening.

 

'I can't even believe we did this.' he adds.

 

Zayn sees the guy listening, gestures to him with his eyes.  So Harry looks up.

 

'Could you give us a minute?', he turns to him finally. The kid stunned, speechless. People lose jobs for a lot less.

 

  'You won't miss much, I promise there was no sex,' upon hearing this from Harry, the waiter he reddens and disappears, leaving Zayn to chuckle lowly behind him.

  
'So anyways, he says when we're both  26, if we've never been married we marry each other. See, he figured that would be a  sign from God, or someone of comparable authority, that we'd misunderstood our destinies,' Harry explains.  
 

'Brilliant but aren't you turning 26 in three weeks?' Zayn's lips draw into an amused smile when it hits Harry like a ton of bricks. Holy. Shit.  He shovels some swampy risotto into his mouth, without looking.

 

 'You think..?'

 

 'Desperate.  To talk.' Zayn reminds him.

 

 He shovels in more.  It is really disgusting. 'He's not proposing marriage, there's no way I'm buying one  word of th-' and Zayn cuts him off.

 

 'Then why are you compulsively eating? If you're not hysterical?', Zayn asks incredulously. More food goes in.

 

 'He can't do that to me!' Harry exclaims.

 

 'We're about to find out.' Zayn shrugs.

 

  
He shakes his head, ' When I turn him down-' He realizes the full weight of the truth. 'We'll never be the same.'

 

 'I have a suggestion,' Zayn says.

 

 'I'll have to kill myself before I call him.' Harry frantically daps a napkin over his mouth, looking at Zayn in slightly horror. Zayn just glances back into his eyes.

 

 ' Yeah, that was it.' He nods sympathetically.

   
 -

  

 Harry furiously brushes his teeth with a toothbrush. Gray foam pours from his mouth, spattering the oversized grey hoodie he wears as a nightshirt.  In the mirror, his troubled eyes  dwell on Louis, flick to his phone. And he spits. Depressed, terrified, and disfigured for life he snatches up the  hated phone, and wanders aimlessly into his bedroom.  West Village view.  Defiantly jumbled, aggressively eclectic.  Traces of wonderful taste mixed with I-like-it- you-got-a-problem-with-that? He stumbles around, rehearsing.

 

 'This is awkward timing, Louis, I just joined this convent, and they never give your deposit ba-' _He stops_.

 

'Louis, I'm married.' _Not enough._

 

 ' And I have two weeks to live.' He clears this throat, sighing slightly and takes a deep breath to calm himself down. And so the next thing he knows, he's dialing Louis' number.

 

One ring. Two ring. Then finally, 'Hey, god, it's so good to hear your voice.' And Harry forgets himself because it's good to hear his, too.

 

 'I've been calling for days,' Louis says.

  
  
 'Yeah, you see last week I was busy with work and Zay-'

 

  
 'Look, I have to ask you something,' Louis says urgently and Harry swallows.

 

  
' Something so incredibly important, that if you turn me down, I don't  know what I'll d-'

 

 'I just have to tell you this one thing first, okay? I mean this will hand you the biggest laugh of your adult life-' Harry quickly speaks over Louis in the brightest tone he could speak with. 'I was thinking about you, and I  remembered this unbelievably insane night we spent together in Tucson, like a thousand years ago?', he continues. _More silence.  Really quiet._

 

 ' I mean, there's no way you could possibly remember the-'

 

  
'Are you kidding?', Louis asks. It stops him.  Like a brick wall.  The sweetness in his voice. 'I think about that night all  the time.'

 

 He's going to have a heart attack.

 

  
'But it's not why I called,' Louis says. He blinks.  It's not?  And just as a tsunami of relief begins to sweep away..

 

   
' I called because I met someone,' Louis says from the other end of the line.

 

 And his smiles breaks off because there is something in his voice.

 

 'Well, that's great.  You haven't really had anybody since that dingbat Jenny', Harry speaks slowly.

 

 'You don't understand.  I've never  felt this way about anybody!' Louis reasons out. Never, huh.  He sits down, hard.  Right on the floor with a thump.

 

'And she's all wrong for me!', Louis laughs.

 

 ' Well, somet-' Harry rubs his forehead where it hit the floor, his lips turning into a small pout.

 

 ' I mean she's a junior at Chicago University, she's twenty years old! Like when I first met you. And her dad is like this billionaire who owns the White Sox and some cable empire, and you know how I've always been miserably awkward around those kinda stuffed suits- But they're so down to earth, such wonderful people.' Louis finishes.

 

 'You've met her parents.' It doesn't come out like a question rather than a statement that dismantles Harry's heart.

  
Louis stays quiet then after a moment, he gets his mouth to work, 'Well. Sure.'

 

'See.  We're getting married. Uh, this Sunday?'

 

 Harry can scarcely breathe. 'Louis, it's Wednesday night, you can't possibly be getting  married on Su-'

 

 'Actually, it all starts tomorrow. It's one of those four-day weddings, with all the traditional events.' He lets Louis speak. Too afraid of what might come out at the spur of the moment.

  
'Aren't you.. working this weekend? I mean, is- is that responsible?' _What a lame thing to say._ Harry thinks to himself.

 

 'Well, Thomas let me take a break' Harry nods quietly knowing that Louis isn't able to see him. 'Haz,  I'm scared.'  A straw to lunge at.

 

 ' Well, maybe we should talk abou-'

 

'I need you.'  So heartfelt.  A lifetime of emotion welling in his heart.

 

 'If you can't come.  And hold my  hand.  I'll never get through this. Please come, please.' Harry stays silent. ' And  I can't wait for you to meet her.'

 

-

   

Harry gets out of a cab, heading towards the airport. He shoots a quick message to Zayn telling him that he's going to Chicago and Zayn replies back that 'good writers of note' are not supposed to sabotage other people and Harry rolls his eyes, texting back that Zayn has no sense of emergency. This is Harry's whole life of happiness. His best friend is ruining his life. If you love someone, it's your duty to save  them from themselves.

   

> Zayn: You have a real philosophy of life.
> 
> Harry: It's the law of love, asshole. Besides, I'll be too busy to work. I've got four  days to break up a wedding.
> 
>  

Harry then puts his phone into his pocket and prepares himself to catch a flight. Well, shit.

 

  
 


	2. Chapter 2

  **INT. O'HARA AIRPORT, CHICAGO - MORNING**

  
  
The airport was filled with swarming people pushing through each other to get ahead with their day. And then there's Harry, lugging multiple carry-ons, trying to pull fly-away strands of his hair into place, nervous, looking all around, and there he is.  Louis is all square-shouldered, a boyish grin, an unruly shock of hair.  He looks gorgeous, sweet, and just dangerous enough to be irresistible.  Worthwhile stakes.  His face lights to see Harry, and he runs to his arms, shedding bags along the way only to be swept off the earth in strong arms, spun around, laughing like crazy.    


'Can you believe it? Can you believe I'm actually gonna do this?', Louis asks with an amazing smile.  
  
'Not hardly', Harry speaks with a sheepish smile, trying not to lose himself into Louis' blue eyes. And then he beams, turning and Harry follows his gaze and.. there she is.  Eleanor Calder is 20, small and slender.  The face is striking, not at all perky and vapid, but lovely and interesting.  Worst of all, intelligent. She walks toward them purposefully, her eyes locked to the man in her fiancee's arms.  At the last moment, Louis releases Harry and Eleanor throws her arms around the startled visitor.  Holds him tight with such genuine warmth that Harry can only, slowly, hug back.   
  
**'** This just makes everything so perfect,' she beams. 'All I've heard, from the day I met Louis, is Harry this, and Harry that.'  
  
 'Well, we're-' Harry feels a loss of words.  
  
'I think the best part of marrying this guy is finding you', she speaks. Her grin wide and pale hued eyes.  Alive with joy and intimacy.  
  
-  
  
Eleanor is tearing down the throughway in her Mercedes 500 SL, a dashing, confident driver.  Harry has no idea how he ended up riding shotgun, hair flying, a total wreck, in the open convertible.  Louis is happily crouched on the little platform behind their seats, hugging his knees.  The roar of the wind makes it impossible for him to hear them.  
  
'My heart's in my throat, here. Right off, I have to ask this monstrous favor,' she starts.  
  
'You need a few dollars?', Harry hopes and he has to raise his voice to have her hear him through the traffic and the wind. She glances at Harry, shaking her head with mirth and then she looks back to the highway.  
  
'This is a very presumptuous and burdensome fav-' she chimes in.  
  
'You want a ménage on your wedding night?'  
  
'No, that wouldn't be burdensome.'  
  
Harry studies the delicate, angular profile of Eleanor. Hard not to like this kid. He shakes his head, running his fingers through his curls. If he loses Louis to her, it'll be disastrous. It's horrible enough to have him engaged. He just- he doesn't understand. He left Louis alone for just a couple of months and he ends up engaged to someone like Eleanor. And Harry is not jealous. Not a single bit.  
  
'You see, since you and Lou have been best friends for a long time, I was hoping you could be his best man.' Harry looks over, his eyebrows raised as if secretly debating if this was her question to ask. The sweetest smile forms on Eleanor's face. And Harry just blinks.  
  
'Uh, how about someone you know for at least forty-five minutes?'   
  
Eleanor is fearless and oblivious, she veers the steering wheel to the right to overtake a car and this has Harry almost falling out of his seat. He quickly grabs hold of his seat belt and fixes it in place in the fear of his dear life.  
  
'I know, I know. You hate weddings and Louis has told me that you never like to attend any, let alone be the best man but we need you. And I'm certain that there's no one good enough to be the best man and my cousins are my only two male relatives under forty. Identical twin debutantes from Nashville, who are basically vengeful assholes.'  
  
'Yeah? Which was the disqualifying factor?'  
  
**'** The twin part. I like to remain impartial in my contempt.' Harry nods his head slowly, his eyebrows arched like he doesn't believe her.  
  
She sees the off-ramp, and slices across four lanes like speeding bullets in a heart-stopping nanosecond.  This kid could drive for Penske. Harry has to pound his chest to get his heart started.  He looks back to see if Louis had already fallen out.. and he is absurdly wind-blown.  Gives him a beautiful grinning thumbs-up.  Loves this stuff.  
  
**'** This means I have four days to make you my new best friend.' And this brings Harry's eyes back to her. 'And since I already know everything about you.  Including intimate facts I'm mortified to have heard, but too envious to forget.  It's time for you to learn about me.'  
  
Easing off the freeway she meets Harry's glance.  
  
**'** Force yourself.  To get personal,' she replies happily.  
  
'Sounds like a plan,' he nods, putting a little effort to smile at her direction.  
   
-

 

'I'm just saying he's lucky. Takes one person in a billion to put up with his array of shit,' Harry says. Eleanor slams the button of the elevator. Luckily, Louis had to go somewhere which gave Harry a chance to- well, to make Eleanor dislike Louis. But it's hard 'cause he's pretty perfect, you see.

Eleanor follows him into the elevator, pressing the button to the Pent house and looks at him calmly as if it was a silent 'go on'.

'And he- he has habits-', Harry goes to continue.

'Well, I've already been introduced to his snoring. But guess what? Earplugs work,' she replies. _Oh. Fine._

'How about-'

'Cigars in bed? I broke him on that. But the bathroom's a swamp, he wears Reeboks to dinner, tells the same, admittedly funny joke three hundred times..' _Harry sucks in a breath._ She has known him for almost a year. Almost being the keyword and he's listening to a stranger telling him the habits of his best friend like she knows him forever. No one knows Louis like Harry does.

'Loves action movies, reads over my shoulder and I can't keep a track of the checks he writes-'

'After two weeks of cataloguing all his faults, I made a command decision that changed my life,' she announces.  

Then Eleanor slams the emergency button and the elevator jolts to a halt. Harry's eyes go a little wide, mind clouded with confusion as to what she is doing. He doesn't really like the idea of being stuck in an elevator. And being stuck with her, is just the highlight of his day, really. Sarcasm intended.

'And I threw the list away,' she turns to him, shaking his head. 'He's not a balance sheet, so many wonderful qualities, so many faults. He's Louis.' And even to Harry it sounds so heartfelt that he keeps backing up till he hits the wall and feels like the air is seeping out.

'So loving him means loving all of him,' her lips curl from the fondness she has for Louis but it making Harry all the more sick.

 He starts pacing around the four-walled elevator. Wherever he goes he just sees a wall and he's so confined, breathing for air.

'Do you get nervous in small confined spaces?', he asks but it's not loud enough for her to hear him and his hand runs through his curls.

'It's very sweet of you to be protective,' she chimes in, following him.

'Let me rephrase that..Do you get hysterical in small, confined spac-

'But nothing ever could, ever did, give me a moment's pause about this wedding..except one', she mutters softly. And Harry closes his eyes to compose himself, turns to her and stops.

'Oh yeah?'

Eleanor nods and confides, 'You.'

'You'll always be there. In his mind. The perfect creature he loved for all those y..'

'Well, perfection can get wearing after a whi-'

'I'm not joking. You win,' she says. So effortlessly that Harry had to stop fidgeting and blinks at her. Excuse me?

'You're enshrined in his heart and memory. Unassailable. Which works out great.'

'I think- I think I've missed a step', he frantically speaks. This is getting too much. He  _needs_ to get out of here.  

'He has you on pedestal and me in his arms.' _Oh. Perfect._

 Harry walks past her and lunges at the emergency button, yanking it hard. A terrifying buzzer ensures.

'Jesus, we're trapped!', he blurts out.

'Harr-', she tried to calm him down but it's not working.

'No, this happened to me once. Almost. It was excruciating!', he speaks, looking wildly around to find a way to get out of there. 'You know how little air is in these things? Once you're trapped between floors, you-'

Eleanor puts her hands on his shoulders to make him look at her and points to the lighted panel. It says PH, they've reached the Pent House.

'God, then the door is jammed!'

Harry begins banging on the metal doors of the elevator with all his strength, sending resounding booms throughout the area as Eleanor reaches and presses a button to open the doors. The metal doors part, opening directly into the banquet room, just as a mighty blow comes down, Harry falls face first on the carpeted floor between two identical looking twins. He assumes it's her cousins. One of them help him up and he fixes his hair and clothes, a trace of panic still left.

'My god, it's the bride and the man she'll never live up to!', the other one, Trace comments.

'That would be us,' Eleanor mutters to Harry.

'Oh my, is this Louis' Harry?' All eyes turn to an elegant woman of 40. She has her daughter's hair and eyes but bearing the rules, half an empire. He's soon introduced to a bunch of people but sneaks out quickly enough to give Zayn a call. He needs to regain his sanity.

 

-

 

'Desperate measures. Do you hear me, Zayn?', he speaks into his phone.

'I do hear you,' he says dryly.

'What I mean, when I say annoyingly perfect, is that there is nothing annoying about her perfection. It's vulnerable and endearing..and that is annoying as shit', Harry rants furiously.

'Ah, so you like her', Zayn notes.  _Since when did he get so observant?_

'If I didn't have to hate her, I'd adore her! You don't understand,' he sighs.

'Jesus. Just tell him you love him,' Zayn suggests in a calm yet not-so-calm disposition. But that's just the way Zayn is.

'Tell him what? the truth?' he shakes his head. 'That desperate. May I never get.'

He can feel Zayn literally rolling his eyes and he can't help it. Eleanor is perfect. And except for being happy for his best friend, he's up to sabotaging his wedding because for the obvious reasons, there is no potential with her. And- and Harry loves him. He needs to win Louis back. He has to. He won't lose nine years of his time with Louis to someone he's known for two days. Okay, well not two days but you know.

'This is my one chance at happiness and I have to be ruthless!'

'Right. Call me when you're successful,' Zayn replies. And Harry just stays silent because what if this doesn't work? What if Louis does end up marrying her and- god, this is so unthinkable and so unimaginable. He closes his eyes and wills himself to push this through away.

Perhaps Zayn sensed this so he speaks with a little finality laced with his tone, 'Look, if it gets too much for you, just give me a call and I'll be there.'

Upon hearing this, Harry perks up, 'Really?'

At the other end of the line, Zayn shakes his head and sighs. _The things he does for Harry._ He puts a little thought into this and without really debating the consequences, he replies back, 'Really.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the next chapter. There will probably be more chapters, I'm still outlining the plot, we'll see.
> 
> But thank you for all the kudos, the bookmarks and to everyone who commented. Any suggestion or advice you send me will be taken seriously so that this doesn't suck. Also, if you can, you can send in ideas as to what happens next but try to stick to the plot and the scenes happening in the movie. I'll be updating regularly, I suppose.


	3. Chapter 3

**INT. LUXURY BOX, COMISKEY PARK- AFTERNOON.**

 

Game in progress. Watched by Louis, a couple of his friends and Eleanor's dad with a few members of his company. Meanwhile the door thumps as if someone knocks and when it opens, it reveals Harry.

'So who ordered beer?', Harry's lips curl into a smile. Louis glances over, eyebrows raised. One single tray. Holding fourteen beers. Balancing on one hand. Louis jumps up, terrified at the impending mayhem this sight suggests.

'Wow, let me give you a hand-' he quickly moves to get a few.

'Louis. You're implying that I'm clumsy,' Harry says, his voice coming out with a lazy drawl. He heads down the row, lowering the tray with utmost carefulness not to drop it straight on someone like he usually would.  

'Well, you are clumsy,' Louis murmurs behind him. Harry fixes him with a look and wordlessly moves over to serve the beer.

'Harry Styles, this is Hank and Gerry from SI and you know Daniel,' Louis introduces Harry to every one of them.  He secretly has a theory that Harry is on drugs because he has not spilled a drop of the drinks.  

Louis introduces him to Walter who is his  _future_ father-in-law. Is the tense so hard to remember? It's future and probably that possibility of future is never coming. At least, according to Harry. He's got it all planned, you see. Having agreed to be the best man is terrible but then he gets to know Eleanor and Louis better so he can quickly come up with a plan to save Louis from this god awful wedding. 

Besides, he has Zayn who is one call away, really. They'll figure something out. They always have. Zayn has never let him down. All these years of knowing him as an editor or frequently seeing him at bars or clubs that Liam drags them both to, he knows Zayn. Knows that Zayn's warmed up to him enough to go along any shitty plan he comes up with. So, fingers crossed. 

'If he gives you grief, you come see me,' Walter nods at him jokingly. 

'I'll make sure I will,' Harry replies, allowing himself to glance at Louis quite smugly.

Then he moves down to serve some others before ending up at someone a year younger than him perhaps, blue eyes and a shock of dark brown hair. 'You're going to be the best man, then?'

'Best everything, Michael. But I'm going to dance with you,' Harry lets out an airy chuckle.

'Dance? You don't dance! I've never seen you-'

'I've got moves you've never seen,' he murmurs teasingly, moving forward to give Michael a hug. The rest of them cheer and it only makes Louis and Harry laugh quietly to each other. Harry's surprised that Louis' not forgotten things about him. It assures him, if you will.  _You don't forget about the things you love._  Or at least, that's what Harry remembers vaguely from his eighth grade English Lit teacher. 

'You're an impostor! What have you done to my best friend?' Louis cackles, putting the rest of the beers away.

'I'm still your best friend. You just haven't seen me in a while,' Harry murmurs with a dimpled smile. 

 

**

 

**LUXURY BOX ROOF- OVERLOOKING THE GAME**

 

Harry and Louis find themselves at the roof of the luxury box. The game, the stadium spread out in front of them. Yet they feel alone together. 

'I just admire your maturity, that's all. I mean, there are people who would find that kind of perfection boring. Day after day, year after year..' Harry begins.

'See, that's what I thought at first. How can you like someone that perfect? No potential for long range livability,' Louis nods, taking a sip of the beer as he looks down at the game. Meanwhile, Harry sneaks a glance of him and wonders what exactly is going on in his head.

'You know, each imperfection is its own adorable slice of vulnerability. She's too genuine.'

'Hate that.'

They keep taking little sips of their beer, trying not to look at each other. But there's always been something that binds them together.

'But then, she does have a few good traits.'

'Such as?'

 

'When I hug her, even in public, I don't have to let go right away. She lets me hold her as long as I want,' Louis says, his lips drawing together to form that smile of his. Harry nods, not particularly liking this.

'When never- we've never used the word love with our relationships, have we?' he allows. And Harry makes a face: lips curved, expressive as if he's ready to run.

'Right. I forgot. You and the yucky love stuff,' Louis smiles. 'You always get like that when it gets sentimental.'

'I do not,' Harry protests. 'When we were- when you and I were-'

'You pulled away when I tried to hug you in public,' he says softly. 

'Well, I've changed. I'm not the boy that I once was,' Harry replies.

'Really? Any two relationship over two weeks that I should know about?'

'This is not about longevity. This- This is about being comfortable. With the yucky love stuff.'

'Alright.'

'And I am,' Harry speaks a little confirmatively. 

 

After that they go over to this karaoke bar. And having sensed that Eleanor sucks at singing, Harry plays it to his advantage. He insists on her singing and dear god, he can't even get a note right. But unfortunately, that works for Eleanor and suddenly terrible singing is an appreciated effort. Harry sighs mentally. After that, they leave Eleanor to go to her friend's place. And Harry thinks that he finally has Louis for some time.

 

'Were you pretty shocked when I told you?', Louis begins, hands in his pockets as it's cold outside.

'Shocked? No.' Harry says as he walks along the street with Louis. 'A little.' He admits. 'A lot. I fell off the bed.'

'That explains the thump,' Louis grins.

'You like her, don't you?', Harry questions.

'I do. I mean, she's- she's great.'

'But to make that kind of sacrifice,' Harry finally says. 

'What, leaving school?'

'All of it. Putting her career on hold to follow you around with his dumb job where you travel 52 weeks a year to places like College Station, Texas,' he replies reasonating it.

'Dumb job?', Louis repeats.

'Well, it's not grown up job, Lou,' Harry explains.

'My job never bothered you before.'

'It doesn't bother me but I'm not Eleanor. Her father owns the Sox and cable sports. I'm just surprised it hasn't come up, that's all.'

'What?'

'The corner office with a view. You in a nice blue suit. Permanent Chicago address, somewhat close to mom and dad.'

'Never. She would never even think of that. You don't know her,' Louis shakes his head adamantly. 

 

*

'But Louis loves his job,' Eleanor says. Harry spotted her at the lobby and since last night, he's been thinking that this could work. 

'Sure. Bad games, bad day, bad towns,' Harry goes on with eloquence. The things he does for Louis. 'Bad flights, bad hotels, real bad food. Homeless, rootless, lonely, your copy makes it in one issue out of tour. What's not to love?' he sighs.

'Why would he trade that for running, say, a piece of public relations at a powerful complex conglomerate like your father's?' he trails his gaze towards the drink shop of the lobby.

'That's what my dad and I discussed,' Eleanor replies as they head towards the drink shop for coffee.

'I'm not surprised,' he says, taking a seat at a table. 

'So do you think he'd really accept?', Eleanor clearly cannot contain her excitement and a waiter places two coffees in front of them. 

'Louis? A job like that? It would be the greatest thing that ever happened to him. Present company excepted,' Harry forces a smile. He thinks over it for a minute, running his mind a mile per minute.

'This is what we do: make your dad a co-conspirator. Louis does a favor for Walter. Walter's reorganizing his public relations and he needs a brilliant guy that he's close to, that he can completely trust. Then you beg him to do it. It's only six months,' he goes over the entire process.

'He'll see right through it,' Eleanor rushes.

'Only if he wants to. At the end of six months, he will be happy. Settled. Successful,' he makes sure to enunciate each other to add emphasis. Hopefully, this will work.

 

*

Later that day, Louis, Harry and Eleanor sit at the drinks shop at the same spot where Harry and Eleanor discussed things that morning. Harry looks at her expectantly and hopefully. And there she goes..

'It's really my dad who needs the favor. He's reorganizing some of the divisions of the company. And public relations is a real problem area for him. It would only be six months maybe. Or three or four.'

Louis huffs. Then he chances a glance at Harry accusingly. 'You knew about this?'

'I think you ought to listen to her, Louis. It's her life too,' Harry tries speaking calmly.

'You're going to tell me that Walter thought this one up? Why don't you start being honest for one second, El,' Louis retorts, evidently pissed off.

'I am being honest. All of a sudden I'm supposed to drop out of school, forget my family, forget my career, forget the things I had planned?' she musters frantically.

'Forgive me for screwing up your plans. Glad I heard this before it's too late,' he shakes his head, every word coming out with such anger. Harry is loving this and that is such a terrible thing.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'You know exactly what it means. I work in a low paying, zero respect job which, unfortunately, I happen to love.'

'It sounds like a great opportunity, Lou,' Harry fuels to the fire.

'Does it really? How come you never took some sellout establishment job?', he mutters. His blue eyes seem piercing. 'I'll tell you why, because that isn't you and it's not me either. If that's the way you feel- Just say it. My job's not good enough. I'm not good enough.'

'I never said that!'

'Yes, you did. Great, El. Two days before our wedding, you lay this on me. I'm supposed to roll over? You're better off without me', Louis stands up, ready to leave. Harry can't believe that this is really happening.

'No! Louis, you are so right and I was so wrong. We settled this and I reneged. This just wasn't fair. You have to forgive me and forget this happened or I'll just die.' Eleanor grabs his hand to stop him from leaving and engulfs him into a big hug. 'Please. I'm sorry.'  

And Harry guesses that pretty much ended any scope for conversation.

 

*

Turns out no matter how much Harry tries to a) dislike Eleanor b) make her dislike Louis c) make Louis dislike her, everything fails. He is frustrated after having spent the day with both of them who  _seem_ to be perfect. He is frustrated and pushes spoonfuls of chocolate chip ice cream into his mouth while watching this shitty movie and drinking a little vodka. His gaze falls upon his phone. He thought this was his last resort but lately, nothing is working. He quickly leaps across to the other end of the bed to grab his phone. 

 

**AT NEW YORK-**

 

Zayn had his friends and some of his family over for breakfast, they're indulging into conversations about his work and life as his mum tells his about Doniya's promotion. At a distant, the phone rings but Zayn lets it get to voicemail because he's talking to his mum. 

'You've reached Zayn Malik, sorry for not being able to pick up. Brevity is the order of the day. Please leave your message after the BEEP,' his answering machine goes.

'Zayn, answer this, damn it. I'm in a meltdown here! She double crossed me! The little bitch- she's so wrong for him. Louis and I are the same person: self absorbed and vaguely lovable. We deserve each other. I'm running out of time and I'm completely out of sneaky ideas. I have come to the end of my rapidly fraying rope! You've got to think of something! '

Harry's voicemail is on speaker and everyone falls silent when they hear this. Zayn clears his throat after the message ends, mentally sighing about how Harry sounds so desperate.

'Coffee, anyone?', he offers and the hustle and bustle rises again at the table.

*

The next morning, Harry's hotel room's doorbell rings. He is not in the state of waking up any time soon so he thinks if he sleeps through it, whoever it is will go away on their own. But much against his wishes, the bell keeps ringing. Harry from being splayed right across the bed, pulls his face from underneath a pillow, groaning at the morning light that seeps through between the curtains. He sighs, rubbing a hand over his eyes and moves out of the bed. Upon putting his feet down, they collide with empty bottles and he carefully makes his way out to the door among the litter he made from sad eating and sad drinking last night.

If it's room service, he'll probably have them fired, he thinks. It's such a wrong thing to wake someone up from their sleep, a crime, really but all his thoughts dissipate when he opens the door and sees Zayn outside with his bags and lunges forward to embrace him into a hug with excitement reflection from his disposition.

'Zayn. You're here,' he murmurs against his shoulder.

'Clearly,' he replies with a crooked grin, his arms tightly wrapped around Harry's waist. See, this is why he likes Zayn. Whenever you need him, he's always there. Even if they bicker and fight so often, it's not like they hate each other for real.

Zayn enters into Harry's room and arches his eyebrows in disbelief at what he sees.

'What a hideous room. Death by a mini bar. How classic,' he says when he glances over at empty bottles loitering around almost everywhere. Chocolate wrappers are all over the place and he darts a look to Harry who just puckers his lips into a pout and goes over to sit on his bed.

'You flew all the way here. You hate flying.'

'Well, I can go back,' a hint of smile makes his way onto Zayn's lips.  

'No! I mean, thank you. Ugh. He was in love with me everyday for nine years. I can make him happier than she can. I am breaking her heart in the short run but really doing her a gigantic favor. She would be so miserable taggling along after this insensitive doofus,' Harry leans back against his bed, glancing at the ceiling. 

 

Zayn joins him and lays down next to him. 

'Do you really love him or is this just about winning?', he asks. 

'In the beginning, it was mostly this prior claim. He belonged to me. But now, when I'm with him he's just so wonderful. How come I never knew that when I could have had him?', Harry sighs, turning his head to nuzzle his face into Zayn's shoulder.

'It's amazing the clarity that comes with psychotic jealousy,' Zayn snickers. Harry hits him playfully on the chest, smiling.

' But Zayn. If he was feeling what I'm feeling then he would know how I feel. It's horrible.'

'Just tell him you love him. Tell him you've loved him for nine years but you were afraid of love. Tell him you were afraid of love, afraid of needing,' Zayn murmurs, putting his arm around Harry's shoulder, folding it so he could use his hand to pet Harry's hair.

'Needing what?', Harry snuggles closer. 

'To belong to someone. Tell him this is the worst, cruelest, dumbest moment to do this to him but there it is. He's got to choose,' Zayn says quietly.

'Tell him the actual truth?', Harry asks referring to all the sneaky ideas to break up the wedding.

Zayn considers it for a minute, 'Maybe not the actual truth. Just highlights.' Harry chuckles into his neck and nods slightly. If this is all it comes to then maybe he has to do this. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm alive. Sorry I've been too lazy to write the next chapter but I promise to bring some regularity into updating. Enjoy, I guess I made this chapter a little long and I'll be updating the next chapter pretty soon. Maybe in the next few hours because the next part is probably my favorite. Tell me how this is.


	4. Chapter 4

**INT.**   **MALL'S FITTING SECTION**

 

'Arms at your sides, please,' the man asks Louis as he takes measurements for his suit and Louis complies.

Harry quickly rushes in, Zayn in tow. He's been fidgeting all the way and Zayn has quells his worries, tell him that this is it. 'Louis, I have to talk to you.'

'You don't like the suit?' he asks, his blue eyes fixed on Harry. 

'No. But that's not what I have to talk about,' Harry murmurs, fiddling with one the rings on his finger. Louis nods and tells the man to excuse them for a second, Harry's heart might just leap out of his chest. He quickly sneaks a glance at Zayn who's standing between aisles of clothing. Louis turns to him and follows his gaze. He must've seen Zayn.

'One thing first,' he says, pulling out a velvet small box from his pocket. 'Guard this with your life.'

'What's this?' Harry asks, brows furrowed. Louis opens the box which reveals a precious ring with three diamonds embedded into it.

'The ring,' Louis states the obvious. 

'Why are you giving it to me?'

'I don't trust anyone with it.'

'I don't think-' Harry shakes his head.

'Please,' Louis pleads. And it's impossible for Harry to say no. 

'You wanted to talk about something?' Louis, then steers the topic of conversation.

'Yes. Right. We've known each other a long time, right? Twenty years? Okay, not that long but a long time. And- and in that time, we've grown close,' Harry starts, stuttering at his words and fidgeting because he's nervous. 'Very close, do you know what I mean?'

'I think so,' Louis replies and there's a smile on his face. 

'Good. So sometimes- sometimes, people think they know how they feel about each other but they don't. Until they do,' Harry tries to explain. He runs his fingers through his curls, 'I have a point. The question is, am I getting to it?'

'Whatever it is you have to say can't be that big of a deal,' Louis says.

''A big deal' is a relative term,' Harry's voice shakes a little.

Louis turns his head to Zayn, confusion splattered across his face,'Who's that guy?' 

Zayn's quick to back up from there and go away but he collides with a mannequin and falls right down. Harry rolls his eyes playfully when Zayn gets up, setting the mannequin upright again.  _He's an idiot._ Harry thinks to himself.

'I had told you about Zayn. He's my editor,' Harry says. 

'What's he doin' here? You working this weekend?'

And Harry doesn't even know what he's saying but his mouth is just blurting out words and Louis' pinned up sleeves fall down to his wrists, 'He's here to be with me.'

'Why?'

'Because he's my friend. He's my good friend. My best friend these days and you've been busy,' Harry offers a small nervous smile at the thought of Zayn.

'So all of this has been about Zayn?', Louis questions incredulously. Then his expression changes and he beams a warm smile, 'I'm speechless- that's- Harry.'

Harry stands there a little dazed- _what?_   

Later Zayn comes up to them. Harry offers a dimpled smile at his direction hoping that it'll serve as a compensation to the damage already caused. 'Congratulations,' both Zayn and Louis say in unison.

Zayn's expression changes, 'What?' He looks adorably confused.

'I told him, Z. If we're engaged, we shouldn't be ashamed of it,' Harry laces his voice with fond and affection, moving closer to Zayn to hold his hand. Zayn raises his eyebrows merely. 'He raced from New York to uh, to fuck me.'

Zayn knits his eyebrows together, fixing a look at Harry that says what-the-hell-are-you-doing, 'Huh. Takes a few hours,' Zayn goes along with it nevertheless with a light smile. 

 

*

'Give me your ring. Give it to me!' Harry whispers to Zayn as they walk on the street, on their way to catch a cab to join the others at Tiffany's. Zayn huffs slightly. 

'When you ask someone to marry you, you have to give an engagement ring,' Harry emphasizes. Rushed but low so that Louis can't hear them. When Louis looks back, Zayn quickly wraps his arm around Harry's waist, offering small smiles to Louis as if they're very happy together.

'I can't believe you're doing this to me,' Zayn mutters, stopping for a moment to take off his ring that has ZJM carved on it. Harry's about to take it but Zayn just grabs his hand instead and slides the ring onto his finger. 'You're insane,' he says to Harry.

Harry looks at him pleadingly, 'For one day find me irresistible.' Zayn just rolls his eyes fondly, his arm lounged around Harry's shoulder as they get into a cab and Louis is peering outside which obviously makes Harry look at him. 

'Stop drooling,' Zayn whispers and Harry snaps to look at him and he realizes how close Zayn is to him. He could faintly make out the smell of smoke and Zayn's cologne, he mouths to him, 'shut up.' Harry knows Zayn's right, it's just- he wants Louis. He sighs lowly and places a hand on Zayn's chest, snuggling against his side as they fit surprisingly well together. Zayn rests his chin on top of his head and holds him tight, knowing Harry well enough to fall into a comfortable silence. 

 

 *

  


After the cab ride, the three of them reach the wedding rehearsal that just before lunch. No one was rehearsing, per se. They would be, that afternoon. Even when Harry tried, he couldn't deny the fact that this is actually happening. You know when you're faced with a truth and you're first in shock then the realization hits you that it's actually happening? Well, this is what it was. The person he woke up to every morning and saw whilst falling asleep was getting married and all Harry could do was stand there and watch it happen. Zayn nudges him, pulling out of his trance. His hazel eyes reflect light and refract it with every thing he feels, Harry has learnt. He gains a semblance of what's happening and leans against Zayn's side, 'Underplay,' he mutters.

'Got it,' Zayn replies and walks up to the first person he sees, extending his hand out to them, 'Hey! I'm Harry's fiance. Just in town for a pre-conjugal visit, if you catch my drift,' he says coyly and Harry wishes he could go hide under a rock as he shoots Zayn a glare and grabs his arm, pulling him away with him. 

'You're going to humiliate me, aren't you?' he huffs.

'Only if I can,' Zayn says easily, smiling one of his crinkly eyes smile.

Harry rolls his eyes fondly, 'Just one thing, stay away from-'

And just as Harry was speaking, Eleanor rushes to them in absolute delight and apparently, Louis has told her about Zayn. She runs up to them and engulfs them into the tightest hugs, the cadence of her voice loud and high, 'Oh my god! I don't know why I'm so carried away but you both are engaged! Oh god- Why didn't you tell us?'

'Well, there hasn't been time..', Harry begins with a bit demur but Zayn cuts him off.

'I wanted to. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops but Harry said no, this is El's day. Let's not take the attention away from sweet and precious El. Those were his exact words,' Zayn says, glancing momentarily at Harry and Eleanor has her hand placed on her heart and she's aw-ing.

'I think I'm going to cry,' she says, laughing. 'Me too,' Harry adds, slapping Zayn's hand away from his waist when no one's looking, Zayn just shakes his head at him with a smirk and pulls him back into his arms. 

'This is so sweet of you to come to our rehearsal,' El says. 'I insist you stay for lunch.'

'No, absolutely,' Harry shakes his head.

'Love to. Love the bag, love the shoes, love everything. Would love to,' Zayn states gladly.

'But, what about your flight?', Harry asks, still trying to get out of this.

'Cancelled.'

*

So much against Harry's wishes, they sit for lunch around many relatives of El. The spaghetti is twirling around Harry's fork and he's deep in thought when Eleanor interjects her thoughts. 'I can tell you this now, but I was very worried about you.'

'About me?' Harry asks to confirm, his eyebrows furrowing. 

'I mean, all those stories that Louis told me were hilarious but all those broken relationships, all those men. It must've hurt going through so many guys and never finding the right one,' she adds. And it sounds so condescending that Harry feels a bit hurt now that most of the eyes are on him, clearly listening in on their conversation because they're sitting on this bloody big table. 

And Zayn must have seen through him and he pipes in, 'He couldn't sit down for seven years until he met me,' and when Harry looks back at him, he's smiling.v

'And the man of your dreams was always there. Right in front of you,' El replies. And Harry doesn't even bother looking at Louis now that Zayn's smiling at him so fondly and he gets a little distracted by Zayn's eyes and then Zayn's grabbing his hand, lacing their fingers together. Harry's lips draw into a light smile and he looks back at El with a slightly better mood.

'Now, you've got to tell us how you and Harry met,' Eleanor giddily mutters, now all the eyes trained on them. Eleanor's mum also demands to hear the story.

Harry beams a nervous smile,' Zayn is my editor,' He says with some finality to drop the subject there.

'But love, we met a long time before that. Actually, it's a very romantic story. Would you like to tell it, babe?'

'It's private,' Harry slightly snaps at Zayn. 

'Not anymore,' Zayn replies, prodding the tip of Harry's nose to show affection. And then he begins, 'I first saw Harry when Liam, my dear friend introduced us at this club in New York. I had just come out of a relationship and it had been like, two weeks to it. I didn't even want to show up but since Liam was so insistent, I went out and when I saw him, it was as if my breath stuttered and I looked right into the trembling seas of his irises but Haz, here, hated me, at first.'

The way Zayn begins is partly true. He did meet them through Liam at a club. But Liam was not trying to get them together or anything. Liam was a mutual friend so they thought it'd be nice to meet one another and make a new friend. And mind you, Harry was as friendly as a cupcake but Zayn was tipsy enough to pull a pick up line on him and then they ended up with Zayn throwing up at the curb. Harry did hate him for that, he was out to have a good time.

Eleanor frowns faintly, 'Aw, why?'

Zayn shrugs, getting back to the story,' I might've ruined the night by getting drunk a lot. But anyways, Liam was kind enough to let me make it up to him and told me that Harry goes to this bookstore every Saturday. So I waited early for him and there he was, a vision in blue.'

'Blue? you don't wear too much blue,' Louis interferes. 

'He does,' Zayn says plainly.

'I do,' Harry admits. He has a blue plaid shirt but that's about it. ' And in that moment I knew-'

'We don't really need to know,' Harry hesistantly yet subtly speaks with a small smile, trying to wrap this up.

'We do!', Eleanor's mum speaks up first. And there are a few replies in agreement.

'I'm very curious,' Louis mutters, sounding a little bitter. 

'They do,' Zayn insists, looking over Eleanor's dreamy expression at their story. 'And I offered to buy him a book but our adamant Harry Styles' always in denial. God knows, why. So I slipped this book I offered to him in with the other books he had brought, The Fault In Our Stars, was it, babe?'

Harry nods, a small dimpled smile upon his lips as he remembers that, 'You made me cry so much.'

Zayn puts his arm around Harry again, nudging his nose against his cheek with an endearing smile and whispering an apology. Then they look back to the awaiting audience, 'But the catch was that I tore the last page of the book and instead, it had my number. If he wanted the last page, he had to call me and go out for lunch,' Zayn says, smiling. And there are smiles all across the table.

'You two are honestly so adorable!' a few voices over the table are heard and Harry grins slightly as he looks at Zayn and Zayn mirroring him as they remain snuggled together with their chairs closer to each other. 

Alright, to be fair, the lunch was not true. Zayn just wanted to make it up to him but they opted to go for ice cream and a walk in the Central Park as they had to get back to work in the afternoon after lunch. Till then, Harry had warmed up to Zayn a bit. Enough to bicker and fight with him mindlessly and effortlessly without any heat behind it. Harry looks over at Louis who seems a little unreadable. 

  


*

After the lunch, the rehearsals begun and Harry was sitting in a corner with a chocolate chip ice cream and taking spoonfuls of it and shoving it into his mouth; sulking. Zayn finds him after talking to some of the people and he snorts, taking the ice cream away from Harry. Harry whines, 'Give it back.'

'You'll fall sick,' Zayn says as a matter of fact and eats a spoonful himself, to which Harry pouts. He takes Harry's hands and gets him to stand up, 'Get on your plane. I'll call you at the turn of the century when I've forgiven you,' Harry says to him.

Zayn rolls his eyes slightly, 'Oh please, you were one who decided to get engaged.'

'Well, it's something other than 'let's tell Louis the truth' team!' Harry frowns, taking his hands away from Zayn. Zayn rubs his hand over his face, sighing quietly. 

'Fine. Whatever. Do you want to see this god awful rehearsal or come with me?' Zayn offers.

'Where are we going?', Harry asks, a splash of confusion on his face.

'Is that a no?', Zayn retaliates and acts as if he's going and Harry quickly walks up beside him, taking his arm and nudges Zayn playfully with a smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. With school and all, I've been busy. But hey, I promise I'll finish this. And the story about the bookstore is taken from one of my favorite zarry one shots, I had read a long time ago. Enjoy.


End file.
